Monday, November 28, 2011

Heroes

Kids on the playground used to ask, “If
you could be a superhero, would you rather have the power to fly or be
invisible?” Sometimes that question sparked a long debate because people
usually leaned strongly toward one power or the other.

It seemed like the people who preferred
flight were the thrill seekers, which makes sense. The ability to fly allows freedom and adventure. You
can go wherever you want, you can soar like a bird and you’d probably get a nice
adrenaline rush. You could also get away from your troubles whenever you needed
a break. I bet flying is very meditative and has a nice zen quality to it.

The curious kids chose invisibility. At
face value, you would think being invisible just allowed you to hear better
gossip or to sneak into a place you were not allowed to enter, but I don’t
think invisibility is only about invading privacy and breaking rules. I think
the kids who wanted to be invisible were observers. They wanted to people-watch
and witness life at the ground level. They wanted to see firsthand how the
world worked. They were the scientists and the thinkers who only wanted to
witness human interaction without disrupting the scene.

Personally, I don’t think either flight or
invisibility would be very practical super powers. If I had more options, I’d
choose the ability to vaporize a person with my mind. I could see that coming
in handy.